Gators, Plantations & Obama: St. Bernard State Park, LA 6/3/08

We woke up early this morning, about 6:30, and sat out on the deck overlooking the bayou. It was so peaceful watching the fish jump and feeling the coolness of the morning. At first we couldn’t believe it, but we saw two alligators swim right by us. Yikes! Really, this place is just amazing. This inspired us to take a swamp tour, so by mid-morning we were at McGee’s Swamp Tours on a boat cruising thru the Atchafalya Basin. Our guide was a darling old Cajun who had a very strong, lilting French accent. (See photo of Curtis and me after the tour). Unfortunately, I only understood about half of what he said. We went on about a two hour tour and saw osprey, egrets, cypress trees hanging with moss, and yes – even another alligator. We stopped at a little town in the heart of Cajun country, called Breaux Bridge and had lunch at Café Des Amis. (Crawfish pie for Ned, grilled crawfish on a croissant for moi). After that we headed for New Orleans via the Great River Highway and Old Plantation Road. It was so beautiful to drive thru miles and miles of sugar cane fields. We stopped along the way and saw some of the stately old plantations. Our favorite was Oak Valley Plantation. What was really bizarre was driving down this windy river road, with the mighty Mississippi on our left with the huge tanker ships poking up over the levy, the plantations and sugar cane fields on our right, and an occasional big industrial refinery every so often. It was weird having all these worlds collide. We pulled into St. Bernard’s State Park, about 18 miles outside of downtown New Orleans and were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and new it is. Apparently, it was totally rebuilt after Katrina. The best part – it has free wi-fi!!! Well, the first thing I did was fire up the computer to check on the election results. It was great to sit at the campsite and watch the early results. Ned had to pry me away with promises of touring the French Quarter (oh – all right). We went to Mother’s Restaurant and had a cup of jambalaya (for me) and a cup of gumbo for Ned. We then walked all thru the French Quarter, stopping later on at Café Du Monde for a cup of café au lait and beignets. Absolutely delish!! We continued strolling thru the French Quarter and eventually ended up on Bourbon Street, getting caught up in the vibe of music and people. Every bar had sports playing on the tv, but we actually managed to find one that was playing the election results on CNN. Does it get any better than this? Hanging out in New Orleans, after an incredibly wonderful day of seeing gators and graceful plantation homes, and then watching Obama secure the nomination

Cajuns & Bayous: Lake Fausse Point State Park, LA 6/2/08

First of all, congrats to Josh for getting the internship at KPBS! He'll be a news reporter for the summer. Way to go!!! Today was the day for sinking our teeth into Cajun culture, both literally and figuratively. We started our day in Opelousas, the “Birthplace of Zydeco Music”, “Birthplace of Swamp Pop Music”, “Capital of Louisiana during the Civil War” and just about the capital of everything Cajun including “Home of the International Cajun Joke Telling Contest” – I kid you not. We skipped breakfast at the campground and instead ate at the Palace Café in Opelousas. (Yes, biscuits were part of the egg breakfast.) We spent the next several hours on back roads driving windy roads thru sugar cane fields and lots of bayous. We spent a lot of time in Iberia Parish, playing tourist to such places such as “Evangeline” the historic site that commemorates Longfellow’s poem of the same. We eventually made our way to Avery Island, to visit the Tabasco factory and explore Jungle Island. The Tabasco tour was interesting, but nothing compared to the country store where we sampled everything Tabasco: Tabasco ice cream (2 varieties), Tabasco soda, all different sauces and were even a product development test panel for Raspberry Chipolte Tabasco. We gave it a thumbs up, so if it hits a shelf near you, thank us. We also tasted boudin, but neither of us much cared for it. From there we took the tour of Jungle Island and saw exotic birds, a stolen Buddha statute (in my mind bad karma) proudly displayed, tropical flora all meandering next to Petit Bayou Anse (the original name of the Tabasco product). From there we drove thru more Cajun country where every street corner had someone selling some form of crawfish. My favorite sign was “Drive thru – live and boiled crawfish. Now accepting food stamps!” We were hoping to get in a tour of the Konriko Rice Factory, “America’s Oldest Operating Rice Mill” (and it looked it), but were too late. We did manage to visit their country store and sampled their rice with all kinds of seasonings to choose from. Our favorite Road Food book suggested some local restaurants, but we either couldn’t find them or they were closed. Let me digress and explain the roads here – NOTHING is marked or labeled. Often we found ourselves driving down a windy road only to find that it dead-ended at a bayou or became another road. I’m working between two maps, the one given to us at the Louisiana Visitors Center and a Triple AAA map. Neither map matches up. Anyway, I asked some guy walking down the street if he could recommend a local restaurant, so we took our chances with “Lil River”. It was pretty good. Between the two of us we sampled etouffee crawfish, fried crawfish, bisque crawfish and bread pudding in rum sauce. From there our travels took us to Lake Fausse State Park. I picked this camping spot because it was the most remote one I could find situated in a bayou wilderness. All I can say is that it is UNBELIEVABLE! This is the most gorgeous, wild camping spot I’ve ever experienced. The camping site comes with a “deck” right on the bayou. (See photo. Ned taking a moment when we arrived to experience the beauty). I couldn’t wait to get on our bikes and begin exploring. There is a 3 mile mountain bike trail that goes thru the bayou so even tho it was dusk (about 7:30 – 8ish) we decided to go for it. What started out as beautiful and exhilarating soon turned to sheer terror. I am not kidding. We are literally in the thick of the bayou, the insects are making a deafening sound, several are buzzing our heads and body, and you cannot veer off the path one inch or you will be IN the friggin’ swamp. Before we took the trail it warned us of: alligators, water snakes, 200 lb. snapping water turtles, armadillos, coyotes, bobcats, red fox, & poison ivy. They were not kidding! The first couple of armadillos were cute, then as it got dark they were just plain scary. The snake that slithered on the path inches from my bike was terrifying (I think this is the place where I started crying), and an owl flew over our heads and began hooting. As I was peddling like hell, Ned was behind me reassuring me that everything was okay. Needless to say, when we finally returned to asphalt I was ecstatic. It was a lot like taking an E ticket ride at Disneyland, but without the safety net of knowing it would work out okay. I can happily report that I’m writing this in the safety of the locked winniemobile, as possums wander by.

Louisian Man: Chicot State Park, LA 6/1/08

I skipped the complimentary waffles this morning for my usual cup of yogurt. I figure Cajun’ country is just around the corner and I’m holding out for boudin, bignets, crawfish and other savory delectables. We did one last spin thru Galveston and I have to admit I really enjoyed this populated beach town. (Things I learned: Galveston is the oldest Texas city and the average water temp of the Gulf is 87 deg.) We took the ferry from Galveston to Point Bolivar. It was great to feel the warm breeze, see all the shrimp boats surrounded with birds and watch the hubbub of the port. We drove along the spit and for miles and miles saw sherbet colored houses on stilts and enjoyed the wildlife. At one point, Ned spotted a flying pink flamingo! We stopped at a beautifully arranged fruit stand, selling everything from tropical fruits to hot peppers and green tomatoes. We were blown away by the sweet aroma of the strawberries and peaches. Yep, we had to buy some to add to our papaya, apricot and apples previously purchased. Ironically, we came upon the town of Winnie and had to stop for several photo shoots of the beloved Winniemobile posing near her namesake. We finally crossed into Louisiana and Ned broke out in song, “Louisiana Man.” That boy had been holding out on me!! Who knew he had a Cajun-zydeco song (and several stanzas too) in his repertoire? We spent the next several hours exploring some of the back roads and finally stopped to eat at a local restaurant, Fauste. Ned settled on a crawfish po’boy and I had some tasty chicken-sausage gumbo. It was a wonderfully spicy smoky soup. We took another back road, called the Old Spanish Trail, to our night’s destination of Chicot State Park, in Ville Platte. For most of the time we drove thru flat lands of rice fields and what we guess were crawfish farms (flooded fields with traps). The unexpected beauty of this state park is that the terrain suddenly changes from open fields and flatlands to “pineywoods” (what the locals call it) and hardwood forests. This heavily wooded state park is 6,400 acres situated around a multi-fingered lake. We threw on our bathing suits, hopped on our bikes and headed toward the closest water – the Olympic size pool. It was fairly empty (in fact, this whole park is almost completely empty. There is only one other camper in our section of the campground!). I asked the teenage lifeguard if “the lake was a boating lake or a swimmin’ lake.” He chuckled and said, “You definitely don’t want to swim in that lake. ¬I wouldn’t swim there. There’s gators and stuff in there.” We also were asked not to swim in the deep end of the pool on account it was too cloudy and there wasn’t a clear view of the bottom (ha-ha). After cooling off, we just had to check out the lake. It’s truly something out of a movie-set. The water is deep green, big cypress trees are populated through-out the lake, more of a bayou, the insects periodically make a deafening sound and then are eerily quiet, a bullfrog is bellowing, and the birds make it sound like a tropical paradise. I think we are more aware of nature here because there are so few humans! Everything in Ville Platte is closed, on account of it being Sunday and all, so Ned and I will conjure up a meal of fruit salad, peanut butter and crackers, a glass of viognier, (beer for Ned) and read out loud Jimmy Carter’s ‘An Hour Before Dawn.’ Tomorrow we will begin exploring deep Cajun country, including the capital of the confederacy during the civil war. We ain’t in Kansas anymore.

Exploring the Coast: Jamaica Beach RV Park, 5/31/08

We left the campground this morning and headed for Corpus Christi. We got there about noonish, unloaded the bikes and rode along the Shoreline for a nice 14 mile ride. Corpus Christi was very different from what I expected. It was actually a lot nicer than I thought! The bike ride was fun – a lot like biking in Tahoe, except that it was hotter, more humid, no pine trees and did I mention hotter and more humid?! (About 92 degrees). Okay, so nothing like Tahoe except for the fancy homes – all circa 1955. We were total wet noodles and boy did I love the air conditioning when we returned to the Winniemobile. We had a great time driving along the coast and stopped at a very local roadside diner, called “The Diner.” The waitress, Rose, was very welcoming, the patrons all “locals” in their denim overalls and fishing caps. Ned and I feasted on gallons of ice tea (I now understand why this is the drink of the south), had the best blackened fish ever, with red beans & rice, spinach and corn bread. Our destination this evening was Galveston, but I decided, once again, that it would be more fun to get there by taking back roads. The majority of the way we took Road 521, “The Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail.” It was absolutely gorgeous, meandering along the coast, and I was completely surprised by how much agriculture is in this area. Ned was pointing out all the crops, such as sorghum, cotton, soybeans, corn and rice. At one point, I couldn’t stand it anymore and had to find an internet connection – for two reasons: 1) I wanted to see if the Nedster really knew his crops and 2) What had the DNC decided regarding the Florida and Michigan votes. (Okay – I know I’m on vacation, but this political junkie needed her fix). When we went thru Port Lavaca, and spotted a Best Western (always free internet there), I pulled up wikipedia and you know what? – that Iowa Farm boy knows his crops! He got every one right. (Alas, there were no decisions yet on the political front). As far as the scenery goes, I must admit that I am very much taken with this area. I expected hideous refineries and oil rigs everywhere, but the industrial part was concentrated in pockets and the natural scenery was beautiful. The refineries are not like in the Bay Area located near residential area, but really far away from towns. Another interesting thing is that all the homes near the shoreline are built on stilts to protect them from hurricanes. It doesn’t matter if the home is a shack or a 5000 sq. ft. mansion, they are all at least 12 ft. off the ground. We finally pulled into Galveston State Park around 6 and the park was totally booked. We tried several incredibly disgusting local RV parks – some were full and others I refused to stay at – given I didn’t think I would live thru the night – and finally came up this little gem. Not only is it clean, has a pool & laundry facilities, free wi-fi (!), but also has a complimentary waffle breakfast tomorrow on account it is Sunday. Right now, there is a large screen set up in the grass field and the owners are showing the movie “Tranformers”. Very sweet. We are heading to the pool. Tomorrow is the day I’ve really been waiting for and what started this whole trip – Louisiana!

Water Wonderland: Lake Corpus Christi, 5/30/08

Ned here, filling in for Debi today. This was a delightfully leisurely day, a welcome relief after a few days of fairly long, hot drives across New Mexico and Texas. Last night was our first really hot and muggy night for sleeping. This was made more tolerable by the $12 twelve-volt oscillating fan that I had purchased at Kragen before we left for our trip. Unfortunately, the heat was apparently too much for the made-in-China fan because it gave out some time during the night. However, we slept well with just a sheet over us. Debi lounged about our campsite this morning, making good use of our hammock, and a few of the Entertainment Weekly magazines, which Megan had so kindly given her before our departure. Later on, we packed up the Winniemobile and headed down to the Guadalupe River to try out the swimming. Much to our horror, three bus loads of kids were there when we arrived at the river’s edge. We were pleasantly surprised to find that with only a tiny hike upstream we had a huge chunk of the river totally to ourselves. The water was a perfect temperature, and the setting, with huge cypress trees along the bank made for a truly restful and fun river swimming experience. (The above photo of the sea-otter-like Debi describes how much she enjoyed our time there.) After luxuriating at the river for an hour or so, we headed south in search of either Choke Canyon or Lake Corpus Christi State Park. The ranger at Guadalupe lead us to believe that both of those campgrounds might be heavily booked on a Friday night, so we readjusted our expectations for possibly getting bumped from either campground. On our 3 hour drive south we saw beautiful rolling tree-covered land, accompanied by a blue sky dotted with grade-school-art-project-looking clouds. As we drove closer, we decided we should call both the state parks to find out if they were already booked. Choke Canyon never answered their phone, filling our heads with images of their check-in office swarming with a mob of registering campers as the phone rang off the hook. When Debi called Lake Corpus Christi, though, the woman assured her that every type of campsite was available. Arriving at the campground, we were pleased to get our pick of multiple sites. We had stopped at a nearby town, buying supplies for dinner and Debi just had to have two new water toys. Returning to camp, Debi managed to get one of them inflated, and had it around her middle as we drove thru the check-in gate. The serious check-in employee had to crack up as Debi gave her “8 year old thumbs up sign.” Soon we were cooling off in our second body of water for the day. We spent about an hour paddling around in our new “sun&surf” tubes. After dinner we took a 9.5 mile bike ride around the Lake Corpus Christi area and were amazed by the number of sites. Much to our surprise, less than a quarter were filled! The Gulf awaits tomorrow.

Riverwalk: Guadalupe River State Park, 5/29/08

We left Balmorhea at about 9:30 this morning knowing that we had a long, hot drive ahead of us. We were only about half-way thru western Texas and figured it would take 6 or so hours to reach our destination. Once again, we passed the time listening to “This American Life” and local country stations. We finally hit the hill country and were rewarded with lots of trees, some wildflowers and much prettier landscape. We decided to get off I-10 and explore some of the back roads. We took a spin thru Fredericksburg, a German touristy town. We were really close to LBJ’s boyhood home, but decided to take a turn right instead and meander to our night’s destination, Guadalupe River State Park. These country roads and small towns were small and really quite sweet. Some of the homes in this area are beautiful, built out of limestone and set far off the road. I really liked the towns of Sisterdale and Boerne. We pulled into the State Park at about 4ish and you guessed it, hopped on our bikes and went exploring. At the beach and picnic area, the river runs thru a small gorge and the water is quite warm. We couldn’t decide whether to swim tonight and head into San Antonio tomorrow or vice versa. The temp is pretty consistently in the mid-90’s and it’s very humid. We finally decided to head into San Antonio tonight (about a 30-45 min drive), take a stroll along the Riverwalk and eat at a restaurant in the cool of the evening. The mojitos and fajitas were a great way to relax as we did some serious people watching. (Photo is along the Riverwalk.) We also walked over to the Alamo and explored some of the Missions. I was all set to do the Mission Trail bike ride tomorrow, but Ned wanted to check it out tonight to see what we were getting into. Once again, I’m sticking with him. Turns out the “bike trail” was really city streets, not thru the greatest part of town. Instead, we drove to a couple of the missions and decided that was good enough. (I don’t think I could’ve done the ride in this humidity and heat, but don’t tell Ned.) We’ve been fortunate with the evenings cooling off to about 65 degrees, which makes it pleasant for sleeping. However, as soon as the sun comes up it immediately starts heating up. I think the plan tomorrow is to get in as much swimming as possible in the river. We are currently filling up the tank and as luck would have it, I’m able to pirate on another net connection. Sweet! (For the curious, we’ve been averaging a little over 20 mpg. The highest gas was in the middle of nowhere Texas at $4.19 and the cheapest has been $3.81 in San Antonio.)

Desert Oasis: Balmorhea State Park, TX 5/28/08

We headed toward Las Cruces, NM and we’re pleasantly surprised by how green and beautiful the area was. We were so used to seeing brown dirt and cacti everywhere, it was a bit of a shock. As we came down from the mesa, at first we couldn’t figure out why this region was so green – then we crossed over the Rio Grande and it was obviously apparent. We decided to get off 1-10 and take the Juan de Onate trail to El Paso. What a great decision. We went through the town of Mesilla, which had adobe buildings with little stores surrounding the quaint town square. This is the place where Billy the Kidd was tried and hanged, and where Pancho Villa & Kit Carson also hung out. The Juan de Onate drive meanders thru bucolic farmland where chile peppers, garlic, onions, alfalfa and corn is grown. The most beautiful part of the drive was all the pecan orchards. At times, the pecan trees made an arbor overhanging the roadway. There were even a few vineyards and wineries. Our destination for lunch was the Lourdes Pearson’s Little Diner & Tortilla Factory in Canutilla, Tx – on the outskirts of El Paso. We drove around the back roads awhile before finally finding it. By this time we had read the descriptions of the mouth savoring gorditas several times and couldn’t wait to try it. Doh – it’s closed on Wednesdays!!! Plan B again - we decided to drive into El Paso and try our luck there. What can I say about El Paso…if anyone reading this is from El Paso, I apologize for the bluntness, but El Paso sucks. It’s smoggy, dirty, built helter-skelter on bare brown hills, has factories spewing crap into the air (thank you Texas) and is really just the armpit of the US. (So, how do I really feel about it?!) I was so shocked as I imagined colorful plazas and charming architecture surrounding the Rio Grande. Ned just kept laughing at me saying I shouldn’t believe everything I read off the internet. After a lunch at a roadside café outside of El Paso, we spent the next several hundred miles driving thru vast open land, with occasional rolling hills. We passed the time by listening to podcasts of “This American Life” with Ira Glass. The terrain was different from Arizona and New Mexico. Not cactus and desert, but more grassland and scrub brush. We finally arrived at Balmorhea State Park, at about 5ish – including the hour time change, amongst a thunderous shower storm. It was actually quite exciting and exhilarating with the winds blowing and the sky ominous with crackles and an occasional ka-boom. The temperature had dropped from 99 to about 80 degrees. By the time we got checked in and at our campsite, the weather was balmy, but not raining. We couldn’t wait to check out the pool area. We hopped on our bikes and headed to it. For those of you who don’t know about Balmorhea check out this link. It’s a neat video on what’s it all about. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/newsmedia/videos/state_park/big_bend_country/balmorhea.phtml We nearly had the pool/springs to ourselves. It felt great to be swimming, especially after so many hours in the car. It’s pretty strange to see a pool being fed clear water from an Artesian spring, as well as various fish swimming around. I particularly liked when Ned swam like hell to get away from the giant turtle! The photo is taken at dusk at this very unlikely desert oasis.